


I'll be your morning star

by thequietrecluse



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Actually I lied there's not much closure, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Grief/Mourning, Guardian Angels, I can't decide whether to tag this as a happy ending or not, If you read the original prompt then you know how this ends, Kinda, M/M, Non-Linear Narrative, Romance, Switchback Timeline, actually it's just one angel, angels and the people they protect, breaking up, briefly, but they have closure, if you know what that means
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:33:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21783742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thequietrecluse/pseuds/thequietrecluse
Summary: Jisung couldn’t imagine a situation where he’d have to say no to him. Maybe if Jisung was dying and Chenle was asking to take his place. But even then Jisung would probably be tempted to say yes simply because that’s what he’d always done. Say yes.(Alternatively: Chenle has always been by Jisung's side. Until he couldn't be.)
Relationships: Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le
Comments: 8
Kudos: 28





	I'll be your morning star

**Author's Note:**

  * For [humeurvagabonde](https://archiveofourown.org/users/humeurvagabonde/gifts).



> Phew... this was a blast to write. I wrote the first paragraph, then got swamped by exams, and then wrote the other 4700 words all at once. How the mind works.
> 
> This is super angsty but you get fluffy moments too. It's not all angst, but there's a good amount of angst.
> 
> This is my anniversary gift to Iris, who I've known for a year now. I met her after hitting a really hard low and to say she's kept me from going insane is an understatement. Iris, I promised you I would write this months ago and this is my gift to you. I'm so happy that you tweeted me a month ago and I can't ever say it enough how much our friendship means to me. I love you so much. Thank you for being my twin.

Jisung woke up to cars honking outside his window, to the bustle of crowds of people talking, to music blaring on the streets below. Outside, people were walking around, going to school or work or shopping. Just another normal day for the millions of people living in Seoul. One insignificant drop in the bucket. He sighed. 

He sat up slowly, letting the cold air chill his bones and wake him up. Sliding out of bed, he stumbled towards the bathroom. In a way, he was thankful for his sleepiness; it kept him from dwelling on anything for too long. Jisung brushed his teeth and flossed his teeth meticulously, trying to follow what his dentist had told him last time. He trudged back to his room, changing into the first thing he found in his closet before heading for the kitchen. 

Jaemin was there, sipping his coffee with an easy grace that would make the actors in commercials jealous. “Morning,” He greeted. “How are you feeling?”

Jisung shrugged. “Okay.” He moved closer to the older boy, taking the offered plate of food and sitting at the counter.

“Are you going to go see him?”

He nodded. “After work.”

Jaemin smiled, taking another sip of his coffee. “Jeno and I have some stuff for him. Can you take it before you leave?”

“Okay,” Jisung agreed. A pause. “What did you get him?”

Jaemin shrugged delicately. “You know us, we’re old school. Flowers and the like.”

A snort. “Yeah right. You both are only two years older than me.”

“What’s this?” Jaemin beamed. “You’re usually saying we’re ancient, your old hyungs who should be retiring to enjoy their twilight years. Are you actually admitting we’re as young as you.”

“No.” Jisung swatted away Jaemin’s grabby hands. “I’m just saying, you’re old, but not old enough to say you’re old school.”

“I’ll take it!” Jaemin kept his warm grin for a few minutes more, before letting it slide off his face in favor of a more serious expression. “Hey, take care of yourself, okay? Jeno and I are only a phone call away if you need us.”

Jisung nodded. “I know. I’ll call you when I get there. You want pictures, too?”

“We need to see how pretty our flowers look on him,” the oldest agreed.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“Hey, Jisung!”

Jisung turned. A bright red head of hair bounced towards him. “What now, Chenle?”

“Let’s go to a noraebang!” Chenle exclaimed, grabbing his hand and swinging it back and forth. His eyes were pleading. “You only have a few more hours until dance, right? I promise I won’t make you dance to any of the songs. Promise! I just want to sing right now!”

“You always want to sing,” Jisung pointed out, refraining from letting out an exasperated sigh. He didn’t understand Chenle sometimes. Not that he was bad at communicating--his Korean had gotten much better over the last few months--but his personality was always so... bubbly. Even during the dreaded CSAT exams, he’d been like the sun itself, glowing with warmth even when everyone around him looked like death personified, minds crammed with so much information that there was no room to control their facial expressions.

“Yeah, but I didn’t want to ask last week because you were studying for the CSAT and I knew you would say no so I waited until after. We can call it our celebration, right? Celebrating us finishing the CSAT?” Chenle suggested, eyes bright even as Jisung hesitated.

“We still haven’t gotten our results back thou--wait. Chenle, you said you didn’t ask because _I_ was studying for the CSAT. Chenle did you even study?” How could he not study? The CSAT determined their next four years, and honestly, the rest of their lives. If they couldn’t score high enough to get the education they wanted to pursue their dreams, they would have to find another path. He’d seen sunbaes end up with completely different jobs than they’d hoped to have, working for money rather than passion and looking like their lives were over. He didn’t want to see Chenle go down that same path.

Chenle’s smile faltered for a brief moment. An easy tell. “Of course I studied!”

“Zhong Chenle.”

“Look, even if I didn’t study, there’s nothing either of us could do right now. Not until we get our results back, I mean. Worst case scenario, I go back to China. But let’s not think about tests and school right now! The teachers aren’t going to assign us a lot of work right after the CSAT. This is the _perfect_ time to go to the noraebang.”

He had a point. The rest of the school year would be a lot easier now. There were still a few assignments, some group projects, and whatnot, but teachers were relenting so that the students could recover. It wouldn’t hurt to put aside homework for once and have fun. “Let’s go,” he agreed.

“Yes!” Chenle grabbed his hands, eagerly dragging him to the nearest noraebang, rambling about the latest comebacks he’d seen and what songs he wanted to sing.

Jisung bit back a smile, only letting it grace his face when Chenle wasn’t looking. Even when he made ridiculous comments or spontaneous suggestions that frustrated him, Jisung couldn’t help but find him adorable. It was too hard to say no to him. Jisung couldn’t imagine a situation where he’d _have_ to say no to him. Maybe if Jisung was dying and Chenle was asking to take his place. Maybe. But even then Jisung would probably be tempted to say yes simply because that’s what he’d always done. Say yes.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“Five, six, seven, eight!” Jisung snapped his fingers to the beat as his students moved to imaginary music, eyes focused on their reflections in the mirror.

When they finally reached the end of the choreography he’d completed, he clapped. “Could still use some cleaning, but you’ve picked up this choreo quickly, which is good. Make every move powerful but restrained. Otherwise, it looks sloppy. Also, don’t forget your facial expressions. We’ll start again from the top one more time, and then we can try it with music. Five, six, seven, eight!” As he snapped his fingers, he kept a careful watch on their faces. Their faces were determined and fierce. Good. 

He caught a flash of red hair, and his heart stopped. His fingers faltered, but his students kept going, only a few of them sending him confused looks. He picked up the beat again, eyes searching for the person with that color hair... there. The boy in the back. He’d worn a cap to dance practice, but some of his hair had slipped out and given him a heart attack. His hair wasn’t even the same color as Chenle’s had been. It was a deep red color, like a crimson rose, whereas Chenle’s hair had beamed like a flame, a vibrant red-orange. In the sunlight, it even glowed like fire.

Jisung was so lost in thought that he almost missed his students finishing, startling back to reality before he just kept snapping like a madman. “Good, good job.” He fought to keep the stammer down. “Let’s do it with music.” He walked over to the sound system, grateful that with his back turned, he could hide just how shaken he felt. His fingers were still trembling as he searched for the right song. Finally finding it, he took a deep breath and turned around. “Okay guys, ready?” His students nodded. “Five, six, seven eight-” Play.

The thumping bass paired with the swinging door sample filled the room, and the students moved instinctively as if they had been practicing to the music this entire time. Jisung’s heart swelled. He really was lucky. Lucky to have gone to one of the best dance schools, to have become a dance teacher, to have become a well-known choreographer, to have choreographed for idols and dance teams alike. Most of the time he didn’t feel lucky. But in moments like now, he remembered just how grateful he was to be able to pursue his dreams and make a living off of it.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“Jisung, what did you get me for our anniversary?”

He groaned. “I’m not telling you Chenle.”

“Oh c’mon!” Chenle whined. “I told you what I got you _._ ”

“That’s different,” Jisung argued. “I didn’t even _ask_ you what you got me. You just told me anyway.”

His boyfriend huffed. “Still, you should tell me.”

“It’s not my problem you can’t wait another hour,” Jisung retorted, dragging them towards the spinning teacup ride. 

Just as expected, Chenle couldn’t hold back a smile when they got into line. “Aww, you _do_ love me!”

“We’ve been dating for two years, Chenle,” Jisung deadpanned. “If I didn’t love you, then I wouldn’t be here.”

“Nah, I would’ve dragged you out anyway,” Chenle replied, shaking his head.

Yeah, he definitely would have. “But I’m still here. No dragging necessary.”

“Good.” His boyfriend beamed, reaching up to steal a quick kiss. “Ooh, we’re almost there! We’ll be on the next ride.”

Jisung rolled his eyes fondly. He was riding one of his least favorite rides in the entire amusement park and risking getting violently sick in the nearest trash can for Chenle. There was no way Chenle didn’t know how much he loved him.

True to his word, Jisung could feel his insides churning as Chenle led them to a nearby bench, sitting him down and pulling his head onto his shoulder. “There, there,” Chenle crooned, running his hands through Jisung’s hair. It felt comforting, and Jisung leaned into his touch.

“Did you have to spin the teacup that fast?” He groaned, fists gripping Chenle’s shirt.

“It’s more fun that way.”

“I thought we were going to fly out of the teacup.”

“I didn’t spin it that fast!”

“Yes, you did,” Jisung retorted. “Ugh, I don’t think I can get on another ride.”

“That’s okay,” Chenle said. “Let’s just exchange presents and go home.”

He nodded. “That sounds good.” He precariously extracted himself from Chenle’s hold and patted down his pockets until he found the gift. “Do you want to go first or me?”

“I’ll go first because you already know what I got you.” Chenle beamed without a hint of shame, presenting Jisung with a small jewelry box. Well, it was wrapped, but Jisung knew it was a jewelry box.

Jisung took it, carefully unwrapping it and opening it. Inside were rings (“couple rings!” Chenle had exclaimed earlier) engraved with music notes. Even though he knew what the gift was, he was still a little choked up. Trust Chenle to pull the rug under his feet even after telling him he was going to do it.

Softly, Chenle explained, “I chose music because it’s a passion we both share. You love dancing to music, and I love singing to music. We share that love with each other like we share _our_ love with each other. I didn’t want to give you something that just reminded you of me, because I’m only one part of who you are. I’m part of your whole, and one of the other parts of you is your love of dance and music. So... yeah.”

“Chenle,” Jisung breathed, voice strained. “This is... perfect. Thank you.”

“I don’t know if I got your ring size, so don’t say it’s perfect _just_ yet,” Chenle teased. He took the box, sliding the ring on Jisung’s finger with ease. “Oh, would you look at that, it _does_ fit!” He beamed, sliding the other ring on his own finger. “And I also get a gift from myself. I’m so lucky!”

Jisung smacked him lightly before handing Chenle his gift. “This is gonna look so thoughtless in comparison to your gift, but... here.”

“I’ll love whatever thoughtless gift you give me,” Chenle reassured him, earning another smack as he fumbled with the package, almost ripping it apart. Chenle opened the box and froze.

Jisung felt ice in his bones. What did that expression mean? Did Chenle not like it? Was this not what Chenle wanted? Did Chenle even wear- “I, uh, it’s, it’s a bracelet,” he began. “I chose the angel wings b-because, well, you’re my angel. I-I know I’m not always free to take you out and I-I’ve been paying more attention to my dance than you but you’ve never complained. You’ve been the best boyfriend, and I just wanted to tell you that. I, uh, saw this in a jewelry store and thought of you, so... that’s why I got it. For you.”

Chenle’s stony expression melted, and the soft smile made Jisung’s heart beat loudly. “I love it, thank you,” Chenle murmured, sliding the bracelet on. “Did you choose the saying too? ‘I saw an angel’ is really cheesy.”

“Stop it.” Jisung rolled his eyes, finally feeling a little relaxed again. “It just seemed to fit, okay? Don’t call me out for it.”

“I’m not! I’m just saying that it’s cheesy. Not that _you’re_ cheesy,” Chenle teased, turning his wrist to stare at the bracelet. “I really do love it, you know. I’m sorry it didn’t seem like that at first. I was just... surprised.”

“It’s okay,” Jisung said, relieved.

“Ready to go home?”

“Yeah.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Jisung stared at himself in the mirror, trying to figure out the right next move. He hummed the next part of the song over and over again. This was definitely one of the hardest songs for him to choreograph, particularly because it was outside of his comfort zone. He was good at hip hop, popping, and strong, powerful moves. He usually wasn’t choreographing to bubblegum pop. He’d initially taken the job as a challenge, but now he wondered why he’d even thought about accepting it in the first place.

Maybe... Jisung tentatively made a movement, shocking himself when it just seemed to fit. He paused, and then made another move, and then another, and then... the block vanished. Suddenly, dancing to this style became the fun challenge it had been in the beginning. He hummed the song again, freestyling and trying out new moves and scrapping other moves. He worked on the choreography for several more hours, wondering how the moves came so naturally to him now, after having struggled with it for hours.

“I see you’re working hard,” his boss knocked on the door, grabbing his attention. “It’s late, though. I thought you said you were going to leave early?”

Jisung glanced at that clock. 6:12 PM. “Oh right,” he said. “I was, I just got sucked into my work.”

Taeyong smiled. “I can see that. But if you have plans then you should go. You have time to finish that choreo anyway.”

“You’re right. Thank you,” Jisung said, rushing to grab his stuff. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“Bye Jisungie!”

Jisung raced to the nearest convenience store, scanning the shelves. Where was it... “Aha!” He grabbed a bottle of chocolate milk, then a bag of chocolates, and hurried to the cash register. He fought the urge to tap his foot impatiently as the cashier, clearly new, struggled to scan his items and swipe his credit card. Grabbing the bag, he bowed his head hastily in thanks before rushing out the door again. He can’t be late, he promised him he wouldn’t be late.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


A loud clatter of metal hitting the floor startled Jisung out of his conversation with Donghyuck. Turning, he saw Chenle, a guilty smile on his face as he reached for the chopsticks.

“Ah, Chenle, get new chopsticks,” Jisung said, reaching for the bell to call the waiter.

“No, it’s okay, they’re-” Chenle cut himself off when his hand spasmed, dropping the chopsticks again, thankfully on the table.

“Chenle, are you okay?” Mark, ever the worrier, leaned forward to rest a hand on Chenle’s forehead. “You’re kinda warm.”

Chenle waved him off. “I’m fine, just overheating probably.”

“You sure?” Renjun asked. He didn’t look convinced.

“Yeah, I spent too much time in the sun yesterday, and I’m paying for it now. Right, Jisung?” Chenle turned to look at him, eyes subtly pleading.

God help him. “Yeah, and we decided it was a great idea to spend most of the day today in the sun too,” he shrugged, not meeting anyone’s eyes. “I think we’ll have to take it easy tonight and tomorrow. Keep you hydrated.”

“Sounds good.” Chenle smiled. “Speaking of hydration, I’m gonna ask for a water. I think I’m done with the beer.”

“Good idea,” Jeno agreed. “Take care of him, okay Jisung?”

“On it,” Jisung nodded. Jaemin smiled, patting him on the shoulder. Everyone settled back into their conversations, Jisung and Chenle smiling like nothing was wrong when something clearly was. 

He opened his mouth to say something when Donghyuck interrupted him. “I know something’s up with him,” he whispered, an unassuming smile still plastered on his face. “But I won’t pry. Just let me know if it gets too serious.”

“Of course.” Everyone adored Chenle. If Jisung was the jealous sort, he’d think that all their friends preferred Chenle over Jisung, but he knew that wasn’t the case.

They finished eating dinner with no more random muscle spasms from Chenle, and they were all saying their goodbyes when Chenle pulled him aside. “We should talk. About what happened at dinner.”

“Yeah,” Jisung breathed. He turned back to the others. “Chenle and I are going to head home now. We’ll see you later!”

“Bye!” “See you!” “Be careful!” Their friends’ goodbyes echoed in the emptying street as they walked away, going the long way home that cut through a park. 

Jisung waited until he was a reasonable distance away before asking, “So what happened there? Are you actually sick?”

“Not sick, like an illness or anything,” Chenle replied calmly. “Just a condition.”

“A condition? You never told me you had a condition.” Jisung frowned. They’d been friends for seven years and dating for two, and Chenle had never mentioned or shown signs of having any kind of condition. Surely he would’ve noticed.

“You know how some people think humans were put on this planet for a reason?” Chenle asked instead. Jisung nodded. “I have a purpose in life too. But eventually, I lose that purpose. When I start to lose that purpose, my body gets weaker.”

“What do you mean? Is it a mental condition?” He didn’t understand. How could Chenle’s body just weaken like that? What was with his explanation? Why did it sound so... ominous?

“I guess it’s kinda mental, but it’s mostly physical,” Chenle shrugged. They were in the park now, walking along the stone path under tall trees and flowering bushes. “It’s just telling me that my time’s almost up.”

“What do you mean by that?” Jisung pressed. He didn’t like the way that sounded. “Why is your time almost up? We’re still young, why are you talking about running out of time all of a sudden?”

Chenle shook his head. “Do you remember our anniversary? When you gave me the bracelet? I reacted funny, didn’t I?”

“I mean... I guess it wasn’t exactly the response I was looking for,” Jisung said slowly, mind whirling. “but it wasn’t bad either. You said you were just surprised.”

“I was surprised because the bracelet hit a little too close to home,” He explained. “The... wings. The words.”

Jisung frowned. “The... what? You mean, the whole angel thing?”

“Yeah,” Chenle breathed.

“How is that too close to home? It’s a nickname, like sweetheart, or baby,” Jisung asked.

Chenle took a deep breath. “It’s a little more than a nickname for me, Jisungie. It has a lot of meaning, to be called... that.”

“Okay, but what does it have to do with your whole time’s up thing?” Jisung argued. Why were they avoiding the crux of the whole thing?

“Because you are my purpose, Jisung,” Chenle stated. “And... I’m not allowed to have you forever.”

Jisung’s mouth dropped open. What...? “What does _that_ mean?” He hissed. “Are you breaking up with me?”

“Yes. No! I mean, ugh, hold on.” Chenle stopped to rub his face. “I’m not breaking up with you. But... we still can’t be together forever.”

“Why not?” Jisung insisted. “Why can’t we?”

“I told you that once I start losing my purpose, I get weaker. _You’re_ my purpose, Jisung. Please connect the dots.” Chenle sighed, weary. At that moment, he looked ancient, worn down by the world and exhausted by the effort to stay upright. It made Jisung’s heart clench.

“But... I’m not losing you. I don’t want to lose you,” Jisung leaned closer, cradling Chenle’s face in his hands. “Why would you get weaker if I’m not losing you?”

“It’s not your choice or mine,” Chenle murmured, turning to plant kisses on both of Jisung’s hands. “It just is.”

“Well that’s stupid,” Jisung hissed. “I refuse to live in a world where you aren’t with me.”

“Yeah, well, I can’t exactly change the rules,” Chenle retorted, closing his eyes. “Believe me, others have tried.”

“Then maybe I should try. Who do I need to talk to?”

Chenle’s eyes snapped open. “Don’t you _dare_ go talk to Him,” he snarled. “You need to stay alive, for me.”

“What do you mean stay alive-” _CRACK!_ They whipped their heads up to see branches falling down around them as the wind ripped them from their original trees. Heavy rain began to fall, and Jisung could hear the distant rumbling of thunder.

Chenle’s face blanched. “We need to go, right now.”

“What?”

“WE NEED TO GO!” Chenle grabbed his wrist and dragged him away. Jisung stumbled after him, struggling to catch his balance on the slippery sidewalk, but soon enough they were running side by side.

Where had this storm come from? Jisung could feel the wind whipping his hair around, sending leaves twirling around in fearsome-looking tornadoes. Above him, tree branches creaked dangerously, reminding them of the damage they could cause if they were in the wrong spot at the wrong time. 

They were still in the middle of the forest when Chenle yelled, “I LOVE YOU PARK JISUNG!”

“I LOVE YOU TOO!” Jisung yelled back, confused. A loud clap of thunder echoed in his ears.

Suddenly, Chenle threw him forward with a strength Jisung didn’t know he had. Jisung landed in an unceremonious heap several meters away. He whirled around and found only a massive tree blocking his way.

And no sign of Chenle.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


There was a faint wind rustling through the leaves as Jisung walked, Jeno and Jaemin’s bouquet in one hand, and his chocolate treats in the other. The path was heart-wrenchingly familiar; he walked this path every year, and every year it reminded him of that day. No matter how slow, or how clear, or how sunny, all Jisung could hear was the heavy pounding of footsteps, the rush of the rain, the loud blasts of thunder, and the ominous creaking. The damn thunder-snap of that tree falling.

Freak accident, they’d said. Close call, they’d said. The news had done a report on it, the record-setting storm that had cut off power to parts of the city, caused flooding in other areas and downed so many trees. “Thankfully,” they’d announced, “there were no casualties.”

They never found Chenle. Not Jisung, not Jeno, not Jaemin, not Donghyuck, Renjun or Mark. No one could find any sign of Chenle, alive or... otherwise. The park rangers hadn’t let Jisung anywhere near the site while they fixed the tree, and they’d seemed so confused when Jisung had asked about a boy with hair like fire and a laugh like bells. “We haven’t seen anyone here,” they’d said. “Was there someone else with you that night?”

Jisung could’ve said yes. Could’ve reported Chenle missing and started a city-wide search. Could’ve contradicted the news reporting that there had been no casualties. But all Jisung thought about was their last conversation. Chenle losing his purpose. Chenle’s body weakening. Chenle’s strange reaction to the bracelet. Chenle’s insistence that he didn’t die. Chenle. Chenle. _Chenle._

In the end, he’d just muttered a “no,” and walked away, head swarming with thoughts. He made several conclusions but couldn’t focus on one, afraid of any of them being right. He didn’t want to be right. He wanted Chenle to pop out of nowhere. He wanted to be dragged to a noraebang. He wanted to be spun on a teacup ride until he was sick. But none of that happened.

And here he was.

The sculpture was definitely Renjun’s best work. He might be biased though. The curl of his hair, the curve of his smile, the shape of his figure was spot on. Given how little reference Renjun had to work with (he was in a lot of their photos, but never his full body. Renjun had to go off of his memory for that) the sculpture was almost perfect. The only thing that would’ve made it perfect was if it was the living being Jisung was in love with.

Jisung placed the bouquet at the base of the sculpture, taking care to brush aside any fallen leaves or grass trimmings. Then he looked at the sculpture’s face.

“Chenle,” he murmured. “How are you, angel?”

Silence. 

He twisted open the chocolate milk. “I remember this used to be your favorite drink. Used to drink it all the time. I still don’t see the appeal.” He took a sip. Then another. Then another. Until the glass was empty. He grimaced. “Still not my favorite. Sorry angel.”

He ripped open the bag of chocolates. “You like anything chocolate, don’t you? Chocolate, eggs, and kimchi. You have a weird diet, angel.” He popped a chocolate in his mouth. “It’s sweet, though. Like you. I guess I can see why you’d want to eat it all the time.” He stood there quietly, taking in the sculpture’s entirety as he ate.

When he finished the bag of chocolates, he spoke up again. “You know what’s so funny? I always thought you were carefree and spontaneous. You practically told me you didn’t study for the CSAT, you always ate whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted, and you just lived life like it was one of your video games. But you were somehow protecting me without anyone knowing.”

He chuckled, eyes fixating on the carved grin on the sculpture’s face. “Remember after the CSAT, when you dragged me to a noraebang? I went to dance after and the studio was swarming with police because there had been a robbery. That time at the amusement park, on our second anniversary? Right after we left, my favorite ride broke down mid-ride, and a lot of people were hurt. We probably would’ve been on that ride. And then... that time here. At the park. I would’ve been the only casualty, right? I was supposed to... no, I was going to die. But you saved me.”

Finally, he reached in his pocket. “Did you know what I found in my closet? I found the clothes I wore on our last day together. I put it in the back of my closet because I didn’t want to wear it again. But when I checked the pockets, I found this.” He pulled out the chain. “My clever Chenle, sneaking this in my pockets when I was distracted. You didn’t think you could take this wherever you went, right? Or you wanted to give me another reminder of you? Whatever the reason, I found it and I think it belongs here.”

Slowly, he approached the sculpture, clasping the bracelet around the sculpture’s wrist. It drooped over the hand but didn’t fall. Like it was supposed to be here.

He stepped back. “I’m glad you didn’t give me the ring. I think... that would’ve felt final. Like it really was the end. Not that... not that this doesn’t feel like the end, but... I’d like to think you’re still wearing that ring, wherever you are. That you still look at it and think of me. Of the love we shared with each other and _our_ love that we shared with each other. Of the many parts of us. Wherever you are, if you’re watching over someone else or you’re elsewhere, I hope you remember me, Zhong Chenle. We never broke up, remember? We just can’t be together forever.”

Jisung steps forward again, cradling the sculpture’s face in his hands. If he tries hard enough, he’ll feel warm flesh under his fingers rather than cold, lacquered wood. 

“I’ll love you forever, my angel.”

_And you are my angel,_

_You are my angel._

**Author's Note:**

> This prompt is based on [this](https://twitter.com/humeurvagabonde/status/1156695349211336705)
> 
> Interesting Extra Bits
> 
>   * Zhong Chenle disappeared from the memory of everyone but the Dreamies, so his teachers only vaguely remember him, his landlady doesn’t even remember leasing the apartment to him or his “family”, the noraebang staff doesn’t remember his name.
>   * Jisung eventually tells Dreamies about his last conversation with Chenle, and they come to the same conclusion Jisung did, but no one says it out loud, and they pretend that nothing’s wrong. In public, they pretend like Chenle moved back to China.
>   * Jisung has moved on, even though it might not seem like it. Not having proper closure sucks, but Jisung knows there’s nothing he can do about it.
>   * Chenle never comes back.
>   * Chenle never comes back, but he does watch them, from the “wherever” he’s gone to.
>   * He’s proud of them for not falling apart.
>   * He’s proud of Jisung for living out his dreams.
>   * He’s still mad that Jisung doesn’t understand the value of chocolate.
> 

> 
> If it wasn't obvious, the title and the last two lines are taken from NCT's "Angel"
> 
> Also, did anyone pick up on which two songs Jisung dances too (the one he teaches and the one he's trying to choreograph)? There's kinda a hint in the tags but I'll also say it here: there are references to NCT as a group in this story.
> 
> I hope you like it! Feel free to rant about it at my twitter (@thequietrecluse) or in the comments!


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